Kreativ Blogger Award

I was surprised to see that Alicia, from All the Pretty Things, chose my blog and nine others to receive the Kreatv Blogger Award.

I seem to be in some amazing company.  Check out Alicia's blog post to see the other blogs she chose.

There are a few rules:

• Post a link to the person who awarded you
• Share 7 well thought out random things about yourself
• Award 10 other deserving bloggers and let them know

I don't talk about myself very much, so ... seven things ... hmm ..




1)  I know how to use nunchakus.  Seriously.  I'm not saying I'm any good with them or would win in a street fight, but I understand how to swing them, how to hit something and how to use them to trap an attacker.

2)  I didn't like dogs until I met Pixi.  I didn't even like Pixi at first.  One day, I started feeling sick at work and went to my husband's house to lay down (he was my boyfriend at the time).  Pixi layed with me the whole time.  I now realize she just wanted my blanket, but at the time, I thought she was trying to make me feel better.  In this picture, Pixi is on the left and Roxi is on the right.

3)  I never leave the house without jewelry of some sort.  I don't always wear jewelry that I've made, though.  Although it's hard darn near impossible to pick a favorite, one of the pieces I wear most is a design by Keirsten Giles, from Cerebral Dillettante.  Keirsten was kind enough to pattern a necklace after one I had seen on Bones.  (The photo is Keirsten's.)  

4)  I have read comic books since I was a child.  One of my favorite Christmas presents was a large box full of 25 cent comic books from my parents.  My favorites, at the time, were the Silver Age Superman, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, etc.  (The image is from wikipedia.org.)

5)  My husband never thought I was a good cook until I started cooking with more butter and oil.  I think the first dish I made that he deemed "acceptable" was a baked ziti.

My Baked ziti had about a half cup of olive oil, a pound of sausage, about 3 heads of garlic (yes, three heads), a pound of romano cheese, a few cups of tomato sauce and .. oh, yeah, some pasta.  :)

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of my baked ziti.  Instead, I'll show you a picture of the wonderful tenderloin my husband made for my birthday a few years ago.

6)  I love to bake.  My favorite dessert is cheesecake.  I've made many different kinds of cheesecakes over the years:  chocolate mousse, strawberry, white chocolate raspberry, cookie dough, oreo.  They have all been very good, if I do say so myself.  The richeset one, though, was a recipe from Junior's Cheesecake Cookbook:  a three layer chocolate cake with a layer of cheesecake in the middle.

7)  I started watching British television in college.  It started with Red Dwarf, a British sci-fi comedy that centered on the last human, a hologram, a senile computer, a lifeform evolved from a cat and a robot obsessed with cleanliness.  It sounds odd, but the first six or seven series are absolutely hilarious.

Currently, I'm waiting for the new season of Dr. Who.  While I love Matt Smith, my favorite Doctor is David Tennant.  I have yet to watch "The End of Time" because I don't want to say goodbye to the Tenth Doctor.

The image is from "Polymorph," one of my favorite Red Dwarf episodes and is from wikipedia.org.

Okay, now onto the really fun part:

Ten blogs that I love (in alphabetical order):

Keirsten's necklace was featured
in BeadTrends magazine

Cerebral Dilettante - Keirsten's designs are breathtaking.  I am constantly blown away by her sense of style and her ability to work with beads and metal.  Keirsten makes her own components, which results in stunning, unique jewlery.  On top of that, she has a great sense of humor and her blog is always a joy to read.

Lampworkified bullet
casing used in a tassel,
created by Jen

Glass Addictions - Jen is a wonderful lampworker and jewelry designer.  Her beads are filled with gorgeous colors.  Jen recently hosted a "blog slumber party" and I  really enjoyed staying up with her, reading her blog posts (one every 5 or 10 minutes) and ogling her gorgeous beads.

Gwen's sweater coat

Gwen Beads - I am constantly amazed by Gwen's designs and her ability to incorporate math and beading.  Gwen's blog is always a pleasure to read.  She makes me thing of beading in totally different ways.  In addition to beading, Gwen sews and felts.  I ran to my computer almost every day to look for an update on her sweater coat.

Kim's entry for the One
Color challenge

Kimmy Kats - Kim has a great eye for color and takes beautiful pictures of her creations.  Kim does amazing work with old spoons, turning them into gorgeous jewelry.  She's also been experimenting with seed beads, achieving wonderful results.

A necklace by Lorelei using
urchin sticks as fringe

Lorelei's Blog - Lorelei has tremendous ability to create the most beautiful jewelry almost effortlessly.  I love everything she does.  In addition, her blog is so much fun to read.  She shares her life with her readers and I totally feel like we're friends through her blog.

Dragonfly component
by Melinda

Melinda Orr Designs - Melinda does amazing work with metals, wire, patinas, paints and leather.  Her designs are inspiring.  Plus, she offers some great tutorials.  I always love to see what Melinda has come up with, whether it be a new component or design.

Boreas necklace created
by Sharyl for the
April 2012 ABS challenge

Sharyl's Jewelry and Reflections - Sharyl's blog features both beautiful jewelry and wonderful photography.  Sharyl joins in the Art Bead monthly challenge and offers up some gorgeous interpretations of artworks in jewelry form.  She also hosts giveaways, challenges and puts the spotlight on some talented artisans.

Hippititi, by Marla,
based on Helena Tang's
Echoes of Nefertiti

Spice Box Designs - Marla has a great eye for color and for design.  She can take anything and make something so unique and fun.  I love to see her creations.  Marla also has some funny stories to share.  Her blog always makes me smile.

A necklace Staci made
using several of her components

Staci Louise Originals - Staci has the most amazing style.  Her jewelry is stunning and, lucky for us, she also makes components.  I love reading about what Staci has created or about the progress she's made on this or that.  Staci also posts about the art/craft shows she attends, which is always a treat.

Erin's Opulent Odyssey

Treasures Found - Erin is a gifted designer in so many ways.  She creates the most beautiful jewelry and also has a line of Simple Truth pendants made from polymer clay (I think).  The color she achieves in her simple Truths are nothing short of amazing.  Erin also hosts periodic challenges (of music, color, or literature, to name a few).  Her blog is a wonderful read.


** The ten photos above are taken from the designers' websites. **
** The photos are not mine and are intended only to show off the creativity of these talented ladies. **